Walker's Appeal, with a Brief Sketch of His Life Part 5

In conclusion, I ask the candid and unprejudiced of the whole world, to search the pages of historians diligently, and see if the Antediluvians--the Sodomites--the Egyptians--the Babylonians--the Ninevites--the Carthagenians--the Persians--the Macedonians--the Greeks--the Romans--the Mahometans--the Jews--or devils, ever treated a set of human beings, as the white Christians of America do us, the blacks, or Africans.--I also ask the attention of the world of mankind to the declaration of these very American people, of the United States.

_A Declaration made July 4, 1776._

It says,[29]

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to a.s.sume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's G.o.d ent.i.tle them, a decent respect for the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are inst.i.tuted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to inst.i.tute a new government laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolis.h.i.+ng the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."

See your declaration, Americans!! Do you understand your own language?

Hear your language, proclaimed to the world, July 4, 1776--

[Hand->] "We hold these truths to be self evident--that _ALL_ MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL! _that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!!_"

Compare your own language above, extracted from your Declaration of Independence, with your cruelties and murders inflicted by your cruel and unmerciful fathers on ourselves on our fathers and on us, men who have never given your fathers or you the least provocation!!!

Hear your language further!

[Hand->] "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their _right_, it is their _duty_, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."

Now, Americans! I ask you candidly, was your sufferings under Great Britain one hundredth part as cruel and tyrannical as you have rendered ours under you? Some of you, no doubt, believe that we will never throw off your murderous government, and "provide new guards for our future security." If Satan has made you believe it, will he not deceive you?[30] Do the whites say, I being a black man, ought to be humble, which I readily admit? I ask them, ought they not to be as humble as I? or do they think they can measure arms with Jehovah? Will not the Lord yet humble them? or will not these very coloured people, whom they now treat worse than brutes, yet under G.o.d, humble them low down enough? Some of the whites are ignorant enough to tell us, that we ought to be submissive to them, that they may keep their feet on our throats. And if we do not submit to be beaten to death by them, we are bad creatures and of course must be d.a.m.ned, &c. If any man wishes to hear this doctrine openly preached to us by the American preachers, let him go into the Southern and Western sections of this country--I do not speak from hearsay--what I have written, is what I have seen and heard myself. No man may think that my book is made up of conjecture--I have travelled and observed nearly the whole of those things myself, and what little I did not get by my own observation, I received from those among the whites and blacks, in whom the greatest confidence may be placed.

The Americans may be as vigilant as they please, but they cannot be vigilant enough for the Lord, neither can they hide themselves, where he will not find and bring them out.

1 Thy presence why withdraw'st thou, Lord?

Why hid'st thou now thy face, When dismal times of deep distress Call for thy wonted grace?

2 The wicked, swell'd with lawless pride, Have made the poor their prey; O let them fall by those designs Which they for others lay.

3 For straight they triumph, if success Their thriving crimes attend; And sordid wretches, whom G.o.d hates, Perversely they commend.

4 To own a pow'r above themselves Their haughty pride disdains; And, therefore, in their stubborn mind No thought of G.o.d remains.

5 Oppressive methods they pursue, And all their foes they slight; Because thy judgements, un.o.bserved, Are far above their sight.

6 They fondly think their prosp'rous state Shall unmolested be; They think their vain designs shall thrive, From all misfortune free.

7 Vain and deceitful is their speech, With curses fill'd, and lies; By which the mischief of their heart They study to disguise.

8 Near public roads they lie conceal'd, And all their art employ, The innocent and poor at once To rifle and destroy.

9 Not lions crouching in their dens, Surprise their heedless prey With greater cunning, or express More savage rage than they.

10 Sometimes they act the harmless man, And modest looks they wear; That so, deceiv'd, the poor may less Their sudden onset fear

PART II.

11 For G.o.d, they think, no notice takes Of their unrighteous deeds; He never minds the suff'ring poor, Nor their oppression heeds.

12 But thou, O Lord, at length arise, Stretch forth thy mighty arm, And by the greatness of thy pow'r, Defend the poor from harm.

13 No longer let the wicked vaunt, And, proudly boasting, say, "Tush, G.o.d regards not what we do; He never will repay."--_Common Prayer Book._

1 Shall I for fear of feeble man, The Spirit's coa.r.s.e in me restrain?

Or, undismay'd in deed and word.

Be a true witness of my Lord.

2 Aw'd by mortal's frown shall I Conceal the word of G.o.d Most High!

How then before thee shall I dare To stand, or how thine anger bear?

3 Shall I, to sooth th' unholy throng, Soften the troth, or smooth my tongue, To gain earth's gilded toys, or flee The cross endur'd, my Lord, by thee?

4 What then is he whose scorn I dread?

Whose wrath or hate makes me afraid A man! an heir of death! a slave To sin! a bubble on the wave!

5 Yea, let men rage: since thou wilt spread Thy shadowing wings around my head: Since in all pain thy tender love Will still my sure refreshment prove.

_Wesley's Collection._

FOOTNOTES:

[17] See Dr. Torrey's Portraiture of Domestic Slavery in the United States, page 85-86.

[18] Among the English, our real friends and benefactors.

[19] In the first edition of this work, it should read 1816, as above, and not 1826, as it there appears.

[20] "Niger" is a word derived from the Latin, which was used by the old Romans to designate inanimate beings which were black, such as soot, pot, wood, house, &c. Also, of animals which they considered inferior to the human species, as a black horse, cow, hog, bird, dog, &c. The white Americans have applied this term to Africans, by way of reproach for our color, to aggravate and heighten our miseries, because they have their feet on our throats, and we cannot help ourselves.

[21] See Freedom's Journal for Nov. 2d, 1827--vol. 1, No. 34.

[22] I mean those whose labors for the good, or rather destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jews. Ceased before our Lord entered the Temple, and over turned the tables of the Money Changers.

[23] How many millions souls of the human family have the blacks, beat nearly to death, to keep them from learning to read the Word of G.o.d and from writing. And telling lies about them, by holding them up to the world as a tribe of TALKING APES, void of _intellect!!! incapable_ of LEARNING, &c.

[24] And still hold us up with indignity as being incapable of acquiring knowledge!!! See the inconsistency of the a.s.sertions of those wretches--they beat us inhumanly, sometimes almost to death, for attempting to inform ourselves, by reading the _Word_ of our Maker, and at the same time tell us, that we are beings _void of intellect!!!!!_ How admirably their practices agree with their professions in this case. Let me cry shame upon you Americans, for such outrages upon human nature!!! If it were possible for the whites always to keep us ignorant and miserable, and make us work to enrich them and their children, and insult our feelings by representing us as _talking Apes_, what would they do? But glory honour and praise to Heaven's King, that the sons and daughters of Africa, will, in spite of all the opposition of their enemies, stand forth in all the dignity and glory that is granted by the Lord to his creature man.

[25] Those who are ignorant enough to go to Africa, the coloured people ought to be glad to have them go, for if they are ignorant enough to let the whites _fool_ them off to Africa, they would be no small injury to us if they reside in this country.

[26] See St. Mathew's Gospel, chap, xviii. v. 6.

[27] You are not astonished at my saying we hate you, for if we are men, we cannot but hate you, while you are treating us like dogs.

[28] Some of my brethren, who are sensible, do not take an interest in enlightening the minds of our more ignorant brethren respecting this _Book_, and in reading it to them, just as though they will not have either to rise or fall by what is written in this book. Do they believe that I would be so foolish as to put out a book of this kind, without strict--ah! very strict commandments of the Lord!--Surely the blacks and whites must think that I am ignorant enough. Do they think that I would have the audacious wickedness to take the name of my G.o.d in vain?